Jesus Every Day: Prayers to Awaken Your Soul by Mary E. DeMuth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book during the holiday season, and honestly, I laid it aside. The holidays (Thanksgiving-Christmas) are difficult for me. I tend to be sad during these weeks that should be joyful. I lost 5 family members from Thanksgiving to Christmas just a handful of years ago and grief is such a tricky thing.

Having read Mary's past works, I knew this book would challenge me and stir me. And I didn't want to be challenged or stirred. I wanted to grieve in peace. Oh, my humanity! I made it through another holiday season and in putting the decorations away, I found this book that I'd promised to read and review. And I read the first 30 entries in one sitting. Oh that I could always remember that being challenged and stirred by His Word and grace is less painful than staying buried in my grief!

Mary writes with a clear voice-she writes as if she's simply sitting with you, sipping tea and talking to her best friend. Her words never fail to move me and this devotional is no exception. I'm weeping from reading Day 14 out loud to my husband.

A favorite thing about the book is that the entries aren't dated. You can start at any point in the year and be right on track.

I know this book will change lives-prayer lives will reach a new dimension as you pray these gripping words for yourself. Prepare to be challenged and changed!


View all my reviews

I'm so excited for 2018! It's shaping up to be a year of books and book reviews! Reading is my favorite pastime and I couldn't be more in the mood to cozy up and read a good book with a mug of hot cocoa. It's WAY too cold in my part of the world!

What are you reading now and in the new year?

Stay tuned for my reading list!

Road Food Review

If you love to travel and love to eat, you'll want to grab this Eater's Guide to over 1000 of the best spots to eat across America!

Road Food is easy to read and includes descriptions and addresses of some drool-worthy restaurants. As an Indiana native, the Hoosier state recommendations are spot on and included some of our local favorites.

Grab this food guide, gas up your car and hit the road. My stomach is growling now!

I received a copy of this book for my honest, personal review. All opinions are mine.

Grace and the Preacher

First of all, I love this author! She's been a favorite of mine for several years...and the legacy continues with "Grace and the Preacher". It's a fun, fast read that had me very antsy! lol

I'm rarely surprised or caught off guard with plots in fiction books, but this story line got me! I LOVE that! Ha! I won't spoil it for anyone else, but this is definitely a fun read. 

I recommend this book as a good, clean story. I received my copy from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion. 

The Angel of Forest Hill

I really loved this book! I won't rehash the story line, as you can read that on all the other reviews, but I loved the story line and loved the pace of the book. I started this and finished it in one night. A great Christmas book during a busy season was just what I needed.

I loved that the author didn't sugarcoat the Amish life. I've lived near Amish for decades and I can tell you that they don't live fairy-tale lives. Life is hard and full of hurts for the Amish, same as everyone else. They aren't perfect; and in this story, the mother-in-law's character was all too believable.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish fiction or who loves Cindy Woodsmall. It's a nice read!

Thank you to Blogging for Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Frayed at the Edge

Fraying at the Edge is the much anticipated second book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. If you haven't read the first book in the series, Ties that Bind,  I highly recommend it, as Fraying at the Edge is not a stand alone book.

We find Ariana and Skylar arriving to their "new" homes...after being switched at birth 20 years ago, they've found their lives uprooted. Ariana, who is firmly Amish; and Skylar, who is a drug addict, both find life as they've always known it spiraling in confusion and angst.

I'm a huge Cindy Woodsmall fan and I enjoyed this book, but I have to say that I found parts of it unbelievable. Ariana's Amish family let her go far too easily. The thought that Ariana's birth father would sue the Amish midwife just didn't come across as strong enough to me as the argument for Ariana's year-long leave.

Also, the author seemed to have forgotten that Ariana was Amish when she was writing the dialogue between Ari and Nicholas. Yes, Ari's theological arguments were there, but her Amish speech and speech patterns were not. She spoke like a seasoned "Englisher" which took away from the book for me.
I thought Skylar's character was well written. Her experiences seemed more true to life than Ari's.
Overall, it was a good book. Not what I anticipated in the sense that it didn't have an Amish feel to it, but I will look for book 3 to finish up the story line. 

Fraying at the Edge by Cindy Woodsmall

Hope Unfolding...A review

"Sweet" but lacking in true depth for an older mom...

I was expecting a lot from this book, I think...and I didn't get it. The positives- it's an easy read. The cover is beautiful. It's written from a Christian standpoint. I'd recommend it to a new mom. What were the negatives for me? The author sort of "floated around" in her chapters. I didn't feel the chapters were wholly cohesive.  The book lacks depth. Yes, it's encouraging. Yes, it's nice to know I'm not the only tired mom out there who leaves dirty dishes in the sink. But, haven't we read this all before?

There are questions and prayers at the end of each chapter.

I think the book is good enough to pass along to a friend who's a new mom and I pray she is blessed by it.

I received a copy of the book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.